By Hadassa Ferreira, Contributor Writer
Students had a night of fun at the Moonlight Madness 2023 event. Sports are one of the best social connectors, and basketball is traditionally a sport that unites diverse groups worldwide. Saint Leo sports are no different.
On the evening of Oct. 24, the Marion Bowman Activities Center at Saint Leo hosted hundreds of students for the basketball season’s opening event. Moonlight Madness, an annual event hosted by the basketball team, marks the start of the upcoming season and features presentations of the current teams. This year’s event was full of fun.
“Moonlight Madness is such a fun way to bring the community together and get excited for the upcoming season. I love it,” said Emily Shute, a sophomore student majoring in political sciences.
The event took place on a Tuesday evening, beginning at 7 p.m., and included Saint Leo’s cheerleaders and dancers’ teams, who gave impressive performances. The event also featured music and food, with the first 50 fans at the Marion Bowman Activities Center receiving Chick-fil-A sandwiches.
The doors of the Marion Bowman Activities Center opened at 6:45 p.m., and the event started with a beautiful dance performance by the Saint Leo Gold Rush dance team. This was followed by the introduction of the 2023-2024 basketball teams, who distributed Saint Leo shirts to the students.
The audience also had the opportunity to cheer for the first-year players and participate in various fun competitions with the chance to win prizes.
Fritz, Saint Leo’s mascot, was another star of the show. He danced and entertained the audience, eliciting many laughs from his fans. The cheerleading team impressed the audience with their stunning stunts.
“I thought it was a lot of fun. Last year, there were some technical issues. The microphones ran out of batteries. But this year, everything went smoothly, and I would say it was a great event,” said Professor Francis Orlando, the faculty sports representative and a political sciences teacher at Saint Leo.
He added, “People got into it and had a lot of fun. That’s the whole idea—community and pride. I had a lot of fun.”
The audience in 2023 was more prominent than in 2022. Undoubtedly, this year’s event had higher expectations, as the mood of the first half of the Moonlight Madness event was excitement and enjoyment.
The night ended with a fantastic long-distance basket made by one of the attending children, earning them a brand-new TV. The entire audience went wild with this perfect score on the first attempt.
Moonlight Madness is a Saint Leo tradition that captures students’ attention due to various presentations and activities. It also provides a beautiful opportunity to meet new people and hang out with friends. Sports have the power to unify and entertain, and Saint Leo’s students experienced it during the evening.
